In Chapters in Brazil's Colonial History, Capistrano de Abreu created an integrated history of Brazil in a landmark work of scholarship that is also a literary masterpiece. Abreu offers a startlingly modern analysis of the past, based on the role of the economy, settlement, and the occupation of the interior. In these pages, he combines sharp portraits of dramatic events--close fought battles against Dutch occupation in the 1650s, Indian resistance to often brutal internal expansion--with insightful social history. A master of Brazil's ethnographic landscape, he provides detailed sketches of daily life for Brazilians of all stripes. Superbly translated by Arthur A. Brakel and edited by Stuart Schwartz and Fernando Novais, this Brazilian classic has never before available in English. Chapters in Brazil's Colonial History opens Brazil's rich, fascinating past to the general reader, and offers scholars access to a great turning point in historical scholarship.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 3.5 / 5.0
Surprisingly fresh:
In its choice of topics, this book is simliar in many ways to other history books from the early 20th Century. A lot of attention is paid to battles, and to catalogues of geographical data or descriptions. It's not an easy book to start with, if you're interested in understanding modern Brazil or its history. But the descriptions of people and of the social climate, especially in the early and later parts of the book, are surprisingly fresh. There are some especially nice touches in the last chapter of... more info
Interesting Perspective:
With many books written by American or other authors, this book has its own flavor: a brazilian flavor. Written by a Brazilian, he tells a story that does not embelish or take sides. A rather fine book!!
This book is neither more nor less than I had expected.:
As a new student to Brazilian history, I found the book easy to read, and interesting enough to finish in just about one week. The author moves chronologically through the period in only 11 chapters with topics such as Discovery, The First Conflicts, Fighting the Dutch, and Settling the Interior. I feel I now know as much about early Brazilian history as most Brazilians do. Having a world atlas with DETAILED maps of Brazil nearby is a MUST while reading. Throughout the book there are hundreds of references... more info
